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Brian Wilson, the co-founder, signer and primary songwriter of 'The Beach Boys,' has died at the age of 82, his family announced in a post shared on his Instagram account Wednesday (June 11).
"We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away," the post's caption states. "We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.
"Love & Mercy."
Wilson formed 'The Beach Boys,' originally known as 'The Pendletones,' with his brothers, Dennis and Carl, their cousin, Mike Love, and friend, Al Jardine, as a teenager in 1958, making their debut in 1961 with 'Surfin'' released by Candix Records, who changed the band's name without the members' permission.
The Beach Boys' signed with Capitol Records one year later and released the album Surfin' Safari, which included 'Surfin' U.S.A.,' followed by three albums in 1963, Surfin' U.S.A., Surfer Girl, and Little Deuce Coupe.
Wilson stopped touring with 'The Beach Boys' in 1964 after experiencing a panic attack caused by the group's heavy schedule, at which point he focused on the production of the iconic experimental pop album Pet Sounds, serving as the mastermind behind the group's sessions while working alongside the famed studio musicians 'The Wrecking Crew.' The album was originally deemed a commercial and critical flop, but since widely regarded as Wilson's masterpiece, having been inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry due to its cultural, historical and aesthetic impact in 2004.
Wilson began to succumb to various mental instabilities stemming from depression and went into reclusion in 1973. The singer-songwriter made a brief comeback in 1976 with the help of psychologist Eugene Landy, before falling back into another years-long depression, having "put his piano inside a huge indoor sandbox and for one two-year period never ventured out of the house," according to PEOPLE in 1983.
Wilson underwent a career resurgence in the 1990s, returning to the studio and once performing onstage before releasing Brian Wilson Presents Smile in 2004, an uncompleted 'Beach Boys' album initially scrapped in 1967. Wilson later released his 11th solo album, At My Piano, in 2012, the same year he performed alongside 'The Beach Boys' at the 54th annual GRAMMY Awards to conclude a 50th anniversary tour, as well as the release of the album That's Why God Made the Radio.
"I feel good. I really do feel good these days," Wilson told PEOPLE at the time. "This whole year has been very emotional and — what do you call that word? — sentimental."